Exotic animals loose in Muskingum County; animals' owner found dead

[ChandlerJr]

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Dozens of wild animals – from bears to lions to wolves - were running loose in Muskingum County today, apparently set free from their cages.
Meanwhile, the man who owned the animals was found dead on the wild-animal preserve that he ran, authorities said.
What happened to Terry Thompson - and how his animals were all set free - went unanswered tonight, as deputies continued to try and round up the animals. The animals that they cornered, they shot, Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz said.
“Our first responsibility is to protect the public,” Lutz said.
Late tonight, Lutz said deputies had killed at least 25 animals and the sheriff’s office continued to cordon off about 5 to 7 square miles in Muskingum County. They were being assisted by the State Highway Patrol, authorities from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and The Wilds, the Division of Wildlife, the county Emergency Management Agency and township fire departments.

Read more: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/10/18/Wild-animals-loose-in-Muskingum-County.html

---

OK, this is just a weird story all around. Ex-con just out of prison, exotic animals all over the place?

Sounds like a Steven King story.

[lonestarnot]

1. Do the fuckers have to kill them? Why not a tranq and a zoo temporarily?

[Tumbulu]

3. exactly my thoughts (nt)

[elleng]

4. Dozens. Bears, lions, wolves, etc etc etc.

[TheMadMonk]

8. Because the average police force is not equipped with a dozen...

...tranq rifles, and a selection of darts dosed for a range of animal weights.

Secondly, the last thing ANY responsible zoo wants is to quarantine dozens of animals quite possibly chockful of cross species parasites.

[Doremus]

99. Oh come on.

Are you actually suggesting that the Columbus Zoo wouldn't have been there in a NY minute to tranq and transport and do virtually *anything* else possible the absolute least of which being quarantining 18 of the last remaining 1200 Bengal tigers?

Someone needs to educate themselves instead of spouting nonsense as if it were gospel.

[StarryNite]

106. Tranquilizing an animal isn't that easy!

Pay attention to what's going on, not on what you wish was going on!

Do you get this angry at hunters who go out for shits and giggles to kill animals by the thousands every year? I hope you do!

[Doremus]

112. Yes, shooting them is so much easier ... and FUN!

:sarcasm:


To answer your question, yes, I get mad at hunters. I loathe them. When someone tells me they like to hunt, they are immediately persona non grata, they no longer exist on this earth to me.

I have no use for anyone of any occupation or avocation who takes delight in killing another living thing. That intense loathing particularly applies to anyone who would purposely put another living thing in danger. I don't believe in hell but fervently hope there is a place where animal killers and torturers are sent to experience that which they dished out.

[StarryNite]

114. Who said the shooters had fun killing them?

Maybe some did, maybe none did. Stop looking for excuses to hate the cops. I think if you had to defend yourself or your family from possible death, you would do it even if it made you sick to your stomach. I would too. I would hate having to kill an animal but sometimes we're forced into doing things we hate.

At least we do agree on the hunters though! I absolutely hope there comes a time when they get to feel the pain of their own karma coming back to kick them in the ass!

[PavePusher]

141. Are you a vegan? Do you wear anything made of leather? n/t

[caseymoz]

12. Tranquilizing animals is actually very dangerous to them.

Not to mention somewhat dangerous for the person firing the dart. Despite what Hollywood shows you about tranquilizing a person or animal, there's a reason why you have an anesthesiologist during an operation: anesthesia carries a great risk death or grave complications unless they use the right combination of drugs and monitor you.

And when you have a few dozen species of animals endangering the public, and you probably don't have the vets on hand that know which drugs effects those species, and you don't have those particular drug darts on hand anyway, nor in the right dose to effect say, a bear. So, tranquing them is probably out of the question. Meanwhile, you don't have the personnel to contain these animals in the area you've drawn by any means but to shoot them.

Yes, it's very sad, but not every mortal decision people make regarding animals comes out of cruelty or callousness.

[iamthebandfanman]

21. dangerous to the animal?

a chance of death versus defintiely death by a bullet is more dangerous?

the other parts of your post i can understand... just not the first statement.

[SkyDaddy7]

23. I wish the animals had not been shot either BUT...

In this case law enforcement really did not have much of a choice considering the type of animals that were running loose. Who knows how long it would have taken for wildlife experts who knew how to tranquilize each specific animal to be able to show up at each location where an animal was.

Having said that...Cops do kill far more animals than they need to & in this case I have a bad feeling most of the cops probably enjoyed killing so many exotic animals...They are probably bragging to each other about it as we speak.

[caseymoz]

87. I was just saying tranquing isn't reliable.

So, it's a matter of how much risk the person in command is willing to have his personnel take for how much of a chance to save instead of kill the animals? Unfortunately, the calculation would likely would be that those animals aren't worth losing one human life over. Someone would then have to volunteer themselves to stop the logical conclusion that comes from that assumption.

If you have nobody with the skill willing to volunteer to to stand in there to shoot the darts, then do you put one of your men at risk? If he's injured doing this (non-law enforcement) duty, do you get sued? Are you liable? Definitely the courts would agree that saving those animals was not worth putting one human life at risk.

Now, take all of this and more, and weigh it against the fact that the animal has a fair chance of dying from the dart.

Does it still sound like an easy, simple decision?

[Doremus]

100. As dangerous as killing them?

We're talking Bengals here for crissakes, not raccoons or possums.

[AngryOldDem]

26. Because it's dark, and raining and you need to see what you're doing.

Now that it's getting light I'm sure they'll try to do that. But the apparent state of some of these animals may make it more humane to put them down.

And "these fuckers" is kind of a strong term for people who are doing their best to get an unusual and dangerous situation under control as quickly as possible.

[maxrandb]

29. I'm an animal lover too, but

this is an extremely dangerous situation.

Can you imagine the outcry if one of these lions, or tigers or DAMN GRIZZLY BEARS happened upon a child riding their bike down the street, or wandered into a crowd of people.

You simply cannot equate the life of a human with the life of an animal...and if you think a grizzly bear is a "poor defenseless animal", walk up to one you see strolling through your backyard and try to shake it's hand.

The people to blame for this situation are the idiotic "wingnut" Governor and "Red" State Legislature that failed to renew, or pass regulations governing the sale and holding of exotic animals...and the dumbass who thought it would be "cool" to have an African Safari in his backyard!

Ohio should take their Governor and the rest of the "small gubmint" anti-regulation assholes...give 'em a knife and say "now you go catch these animals...Good Luck"

Blaming law enforcement for doing what needs to be done to protect their communities is "psycho talk".

[StarryNite]

104. Exactly!

The cops didn't let the animals go, the real psycho was the one who let them go. That man that let the animals go had already been charged with animal abuse in the past. He is the reason the animals are dead today. What happened is nothing less than a tragedy. My hearts is breaking for the animals but I blame the psycho who let them go, not the cops who had to clean up after what he did.

[wombat007]

35. The cats have had their claws removed

They have had their claws removed so they can be handle by children in the Make A Wish Foundation.

&&ID2=F84HRP

[maxrandb]

37. OK, first

it says that 3 of the cubs were declawed. He apparently had 21 of them on his property. I don't know about you, but I'm not waiting to see if one the tigers that is roaming in my backyard is "de-clawed"...besides, I'm sure a 600 pound "de-clawed" tiger couldn't hurt a flea :eyes:

[yellowcanine]

46. I was attacked by a domestic cat once. He used his teeth. On my hand.

I was lucky to get away with no tendon damage. But if that had been a tiger or lion cub I suspect tendon damage would be the least of my worries.

Declawing cats protects furniture. It doesn't do a whole lot to protect people.

[kestrel91316]

78. "Declawing cats protects furniture. It doesn't do a whole lot to protect people."

Indeed. From one who knows a thing or two about cat bites.

:rofl:

Though I must confess that my most recent nasty work-related injury was due to a hind claw, of all things. Those suckers can gouge the back of one's hand quite deeply even when dull.

[yellowcanine]

93. Yeah the hind leg of a cat can rip your forearm up pretty good.

Ouch.

[yellowcanine]

94. dupe

[Gormy Cuss]

139. You must be on a constant antibiotic regimen.

Cats are extraordinarily well equipped to defend themselves.
:hi:

[tammywammy]

119. "Declawing cats protects furniture. It doesn't do a whole lot to protect people."

Yes! Best statement I've seen about declawing ever!

[CountAllVotes]

137. People that declaw cats belong in one place

and that is jail! It is cruel, inhumane, etc. etc. etc.

:grr:

[kestrel91316]

75. Did it occur to you that they probably still have teeth????

[TorchTheWitch]

129. The CUBS had them removed, and it's not the claws that's the problem

They were 2 month old cubs crippled for life by being declawed and would be worthless as a play-thing for a sick child in only a few scant months as it matures. And those 2 month old cubs can still give a fierce bite making them still too dangerous for any child to handle. I can't imagine that the Make-A-Wish Foundation would be so unbelievably stupid as to be willing to grant such a obviously dangerous wish. Tiger bites and scratches also have an extreme tendency to fester which could be down-right lethal to a terminally ill child.

It's hardly the claws that matter anyway. A fully grown declawed tiger is just as dangerous as one not declawed since they still have a mouth full of big sharp teeth which is how they maul and kill you in the first place.

[Myrina]

39. I know! I am sad for humans (even moreso than usual) today.

:( Why kill them? WHY??

[bigworld]

40. I'd like to agree with you, but if there were a hungry tiger in my backyard

I'd probably want him gone by any means possible.

[Codeine]

41. "Fuckers"?

People forced to deal with a shitty, terrifying, and dangerous situation through no fault of their own.

[The Stranger]

43. They were fucking trained at taxpayer expense and paid by taxpayers to deal with "shitty, terrifyin

and dangerous situations."

They didn't just show up off the street and volunteer.

[Codeine]

47. Cops aren't actually trained to deal with

large numbers of predatory carnivores being released near population areas.

Put the cop-hate away for ten seconds and think, man.

[Supply Side Jesus]

53. don't expect too much rational thought when the word "cop" is uttered here

[yellowcanine]

50. And they followed their training. So exactly what is your beef?

That they didn't do as they were trained to do? What are your credentials to be telling police officers how to handle a "shitty, terrifying" situation?

[kestrel91316]

79. When do small-town cops get training in subduing and capture of large,

dangerous exotic predators of multiple species?

Do tell.

[The Stranger]

42. These are sheriff's deputies, what would you expect?

This is like a wet dream for these douchebags.

[Name removed]

51. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[The Croquist]

74. What a stupid useless post

You ignorance is only surpassed by your hate.

[AngryOldDem]

76. Okay...what exactly should they have done here?

Put out cat treats and a scratching post?

[Doremus]

101. My thought exactly.

You *know* they were falling all over themselves to get a shot. Hell, I'll bet there were off-duty deputies there and some from other jurisdictions joining the big game hunt.

[Supply Side Jesus]

59. because these "fuckers" have a duty to protect the public

as tragic as it is, if ONE of these animals attack a person or a household pet and the S.O. did nothing but wait for Zoo keepers to show up, not only criminally but civilly will they be held responsible.

get a grip

[undeterred]

67. Yeah, but Zoo keepers are hardly equipped to deal with this either.

[Supply Side Jesus]

71. imagine getting that call

"we got 20 tiger and a shit load of other exotics running loose in a city of 30k. We need your to grab your dart guns and hunt them all down before school lets out...."

what a disaster

[undeterred]

90. I think you could work in a zoo for a long time

and rarely see a situation get out of control. Seeing a wild animal totally at large in a situation its never been in before is totally dangerous and life threatening for everyone.

Geez, what a way to kill yourself.

[The Croquist]

72. Maybe you should read the article before you pass judgment.

and call a group of people "fuckers". It states quite clearly why the felt the need to kill them. They simply didn't have the capability to contain them and they were more concerned about saving human lives then the lives of the animals.

[Ilsa]

96. I was listening to the sheriff speak. They tried tranquilizing one of the tigers, and it

Made it crazy and dangerous. It became very aggressive after the attempt. It was close by, so they had to shoot it.

Theses animals are close to neighborhoods according to the sherriff.

[wordpix]

120. +1000 this is completely inane animal cruelty

[idiotgardener]

2. A few hours of freedom

and then shot to death.

[Poll_Blind]

17. (shaking head) nt

PB

[WildClarySage]

5. the columbus zoo and the wilds-

A great wildlife sanctuary- are both right near zanesville and had people on hand to help out. They didn't care, they justified it by saying they were protecting the public but they needed to play macho hunter dudes. No reason at all those animals had to die. So sad.

[lonestarnot]

6. Son of a bitches.

[caseymoz]

13. They had the people? And they just happened to have a supply of the right tranquilizer darts?

For the right species? And a place to keep the animals? And sharp-shooters familiar trained with a tranq gun who were willing to stand in there and shoot, say, a bear, whom wouldn't pass out right away, probably needs two or three darts, and is going to be enraged after the first one?

Meanwhile, authorities have a short time limit for which to solve these problems, get the right personnel and the right materials. The longer it goes on, the more likely those animals are to slip out of the cordoned zone (for which the authorities had no way to contain them but to shoot them) and the more hungry and confused, and possibly, angrier those animals would be. Law enforcement is not likely to see those problems as solvable, not because they're macho, but because they have no experience in solving them. They aren't trained in this situation at all, but they do understand the time pressure, and the danger.

Not every mortal decision about animals is made because people are cruel. If you think you understand animals, try to understand people first. If you can't understand your own species, you're probably getting the other ones wrong, too.

[exboyfil]

20. I think it is also zoo policy to kill dangerous animals which

escape at the zoo. For example the tiger in San Francisco.

[TBF]

24. Nasty, nasty ...

You might re-read your last two sentences and try re-writing your post.

Are you a cop?

[caseymoz]

80. What? For verb-subject disagreement? It was late.

But I meant every word.

No, I'm not a cop. I'm a former telephone operator and currently an underpaid writer, who has objected about police on this very board, and has witnessed firsthand police chicanery, mendacity and misbehavior.

So, your inquiry was far off the mark, indicating that you have a weak understanding of your own species and should, therefore, probably re-examine your understanding of other ones.

[TBF]

88. lol - ok after that reply I cannot take you seriously at all

keep at it keyboard warrior ... i'm sure you have millions to slay before you sleep.

[caseymoz]

113. The last line was ironic.

Though it gave me a chance to reiterate that point.

[RamboLiberal]

36. Columbus zoo is getting involved

Jack Hanna is not faulting the cops.

[Supply Side Jesus]

55. Can I live in your world where no one is sued or held liable

for failure to act to protect the public? pretty please?

[wordpix]

123. that's what I think was in their heads: "Now's my chance to bag me a lion"

:grr:

[Fire Walk With Me]

7. Oh geez, no, call Animal Control...

[kestrel91316]

81. Your average small town animal control department has no equipment or training

for dealing with large exotic predators.

M-99 is an exceedingly dangerous drug, highly controlled, and lethal to humans who get accidentally injected with even tiny amounts.

I wouldn't want anyone handling that stuff without extensive training, and they have to have DEA registration for it anyway.

[Little Tich]

9. Exotic-animal rules debated in secret

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio has no rules regulating the sale and ownership of exotic animals six months after Gov. John Kasich allowed a ban enacted by his predecessor to expire.

The executive order that Gov. Ted Strickland signed before leaving office early this year wouldn’t have made a difference in the case of an elderly man seriously injured on Wednesday by a kangaroo at an exotic-animal farm in rural Marion County.

Strickland’s order didn’t cover kangaroos.

However, new rules governing a wide range of exotic animals and reptiles are being discussed by an eclectic group in closed-door meetings convened by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The group includes representatives of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Humane Society of the U.S., Knox County prosecutor’s office, Ohio Association of Animal Owners, Ohio Farm Bureau, Ohio Veterinary Medical Association, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and Zoo Association of America.

Read more: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/09/23/exotic-animal-rules-debated-in-secret.html

[jtuck004]

10. Police often have feelings of inadequacy, so clubbing peaceful

protestors and shooting defenseless animals (those who, living in a cage, are far more likely to want to return to the cage than hurt anyone) makes them feel tough.

Like the guy said, there is no honor in their actions.

[plumbob]

11. Yes, it is as simple as that.

Fuckers.

[caseymoz]

14. Saying that is really unfair.

Considering how people will freak out at the sight of a "wild" mouse in their home, imagine encountering a wild animal, like, five hundred times that size, when you're armed, arriving on a crime scene, and where you don't know what happened or how the guy in there died. Plus, you're not trained in wild-animal confrontations, probably don't know anything about these species, and don't know what they'd do.

Cut these guys a break, will you? They're not the same ones who "club protesters" anywhere else, and any comparison between this sad incident and protests are inappropriate.

[jtuck004]

16. A break. The ones in my town killed a cow. A cow.

A cow.

Because it was loose. It hadn't attacked anyone, there was no bloody crime scene. People complained, but nothing came of it. But does such a propensity to use lethal force maybe influence how they treat people. Ours graduated from a cow to a recent arrest where they beat a person considered mentally challenged, on video, without provocation. Guy wound up on the floor where they held an oxygen mask over his face with no oxygen. (I was a street medic for 2 1/2 years, and there are no protocols, thus no reason, to hold medical equipment over the patients face unless it is attached and used according to doctor's directions). He died, though not from suffocation, I suppose. Later one shot an 80 year old preacher he had beaten to his knees, a guy who had been out with a gun (but put it back in his belt) checking on his own property. The police officer testified that the gun was not in the guys hand, but he "knew" that the 80-year old preacher was going to pull it and kill him so he shot him. Dead. Held his wife back from being with him while he died.

Most are not the street cops I grew up and worked with. Those folks were there for service, not pushing generally law-abiding people around. There are damn few decent ones, because even if they aren't the quasi-military bullies, they permit that behavior. In the case above a high-ranking officer lied to protect the officer on the scene, now a public scandal. It has been my experience that police stop, ticket, and imprison black people based on the color of their skin, perhaps more than 10 times as much as whites. With the new laws, I can't wait to see what they do to people for being brown :(

We can watch on tv and the computer today video of peaceful demonstrators where illegally assaulting them with sticks became such a thoughtless act by the NYPD that a decorated veteran stood in the street and berated about 30 of them. You could tell they were stunned, being asked to act like these were their neighbors.

They get too many breaks.

[caseymoz]

19. Well, it was cow, and a different situation. A different animal.

They're familiar with cows. What happened with you doesn't compare. Stay angry about that incident, it was outrageous.

I, too, have had bad brushes with police where they behaved terribly. So have my relatives. So have friends. I know what you're talking about. So, I agree 100 percent about the police in general.

With this particular incident, though, it wasn't a cow. It wasn't anything they were familiar with, and nothing they could presume was docile. What if these officers were confronted with a hyena or a couple of chimpanzees? All I'm saying is, there are no grounds to say the police who arrived on the scene (so far as we know) acted out of anything but self-defense, and probably terror.

[jtuck004]

33. I don't know if they were acting in so-called terror, or more like a

bunch of bubba's out for a weekend hunt.

From the story...

"There, Lutz said, they found Thompson dead outside his house and “every single animal-cage door open.”Lutz said the deputies saw a number of animals standing outside their cages, still on the property, while others had escaped a fence that surrounds Thompson’s property. Deputies immediately began shooting animals, he said."

I suspect the biggest threat wasn't the animals, but a murderer - 'cause I bet the bears didn't open all the other cages. It doesn't say the first animals shot did anything but stand there - they were caged and probably used to humans and being fed. It doesn't say the deputires were attacked or even threatened, just "immediately began shooting animals". A professional might have withdrawn to safety and called for someone with a little more education (say something beyond the "animals-killing-animals" specials on Animal Channel), and then look for situations where there really was a threat. 9mm bullets flying around don't just automatically make things better.

While it is possible that there was some real threat, it would have to be something people just make up or assume, since it isn't evident in the coverage I have seen. This sounds more like bullies out for a little fun. Then again, the more I see police beat up on the most defenseless, the more I assume that is their standard response.

YMMV. :)

[caseymoz]

48. It doesn't give us any details.

I'll say what I did in another post: you know how people flip out at seeing a mouse? Now imagine a wild, feral animal six hundred times that size. Now imagine several of them. I have to ask here, how would I have reacted if I were armed? How would most people, not in law enforcement, not trained in handling undomesticated animals have reacted?

Then you have to wonder, can I back out of here fast enough? Does it know I'm armed? Is it smelling my fear? How do I read its reactions as I move? How can I get it back in the cage?

Then first shot probably roused all the others.

If you think they're automatically guilty, think of all this next time you find a spider in your bathtub, because that's a wild animal. You don't have to kill it. You don't have to react for a second as though it's in your pants.

That passage is sad, but as I pictured it, I began to see more tragedy than outrage.

[Supply Side Jesus]

56. I know of a Texas Deputy who was killed by a "cow"

just a plain simple cow, and it killed him when he try to get it out of the roadway...happened this year.

[Supply Side Jesus]

52. until Grandma Goodcookie is mauled

then I'm sure you'll offer nothing but scorn

[TorchTheWitch]

130. a tiger on the loose is "defenseless"???

So you'd feel perfectly safe with one in your yard? Pffftttt.

And no, these animals that lived in cages when turned loose would be feeling fear in an unfamiliar and open environment which would make them go into self-protection mode thus becoming highly agitated and aggressive and far MORE likely to harm someone. The simple fact that they left their opened cages should make it obvious to anyone that they sure as shit didn't consider them a place of safety and comfort.

This cop bashing for their having to shoot the animals is outrageous and nothing but the usual cop bigotry that's the only constant on this site other than Republican bashing. And it's sickening.

[jtuck004]

142. Alarmist BS doesn't really help anything.

But I often hear it, especially from those whose advanced knowledge of animal behavior seems to come from Lassie reruns or people watching "When Animals Fight".

No, I would not feel perfectly safe if a tiger was walking through my yard. I would not feel any safer knowing there was some bubba with a badge letting go of rounds they have no control over once they leave the barrel. A missed shot can lead to a wounded and FAR more lethal animal than one started with. That shot can pass through a wall and then through the head of a 3 year old as easily as it can hit a running animal. Of course they left their cages - but then the majority of them simply milled around the compound, according to reports, until they were shot. The front gates were wide open, apparently, yet these so called (from above) "highly agitated and aggressive and far MORE likely to harm someone" animals walked around in circles, didn't leave. There were some attacks on each other, so for those animals that did leave it may have been more trying to escape for their life, not running with the thought of a tasty "leg of human" awaiting them.

I have had experience in this, with large animals on the ground, and the humane way to handle this is not to lose your composure and act stupidly. Where you can you corral - not corner - the animal, and provide a way for them to escape into your trap. The Columbus Zoo was less than an hour away, and there were other resources that could have been called upon. After the gates were closed plenty of expert assistance could have arrived to deal with this nearly as quick as pickup trucks full of willing shooters arrived for their little holiday. If there is an actual threat than someone needs to deal with it immediately, and I have no problem putting a .308 into their head, assuming there really is a problem. What isn't needed is to set fire to people's worst side with unsubstantiated rhetoric ascribing behaviors that didn't exist - also known as lies. Note: The animals weren't called "aggressive" until the news reporting ramped it up, apparently needing to make it sound more urgent that "police fired from a long distance away, through a fence, killing animals who were threatening no one". Which, for the majority of these, was EXACTLY what happened. (Not unsual in a country that kills 4-6 million cats and dogs, every single damn year, regardless of the fact that it is cheaper and more humane to help people fence and spay or neuter their pets, such as they do in Toronto where they don't need to keep the killing machine going).

These were caged animals fed every single day by a human. They no longer hunt for their food, and, frankly, although some may, there is not one - NOT ONE - piece of documented evidence that ANY of these animals aggressed toward a human being, though there was a lot of speculation that they might. That's the same reason the cop killed the 80 year old preacher with no weapon in his hands last year, just down the road a ways from us. It's clear that the entire government of Ohio, from the governor on down, is complicit in the terrible conditions these animals were kept in, and despite our responsibility to care for them failed them when they most needed it. (When I have gone out on animal rescues due to poor conditions the animals are nearly always too sick to be thought of as anything close to aggressive. I would bet that at least half those so-called dangerous cats had infected or torn pads on their feet - almost certainly to the point that it would have kept them from hunting a bird, much less a human).

Don't know about the usual cop bigotry, but it seems like I hear such opinions that I consider way too self-righteous mostly expressed by people who ignore what is actually going on in the streets. One can watch nearly every day now armed police officers beating unarmed peaceful citizens, spraying poison into their eyes for doing nothing but expressing an opinion. We stop, arrest, and jail people for being nothing but black at a rate nearly 10 times that of white people, yet all the evidence shows that white people commit more crime because of their sheer numbers, and commit financial crimes at an astoundingly greater rate without even being charged. These black people are our neighbors, yet I don't read NEARLY as many complaints about such overt racism on the part of law enforcement. Their only relief seems to be coming in the new war on brown people.

It ain't bigotry when the police actions don't serve the public good, when they fall to the level of bullying, when they are racist in the way they carry out their duties. When they react like a bunch of undisciplined fools they are earning disrespect by their own actions.

But that's just my opinion, and you are certainly welcome to yours.

[TorchTheWitch]

131. dupe

[Cirque du So-What]

15. 'Ohio has no rules regulating the sale and ownership of exotic animals'

Therein lies the root of the problem, which had been ongoing for years with this character.

[Poll_Blind]

18. You kidding me? That's crazy. I thought it was a federal law or something.

PB

[Cirque du So-What]

25. You'd think it would be a federal law

That's a flaw within our system IMO. Too much power remains in the hands of the states, which are free to enact all manner of fucked-up laws (slavery leaps to mind). It's a good think Congress reserved the right to regulate commerce between the states, else we'd see no end of fuckery in that department.

[The Croquist]

85. Slavery comes to mind?

Try reading the 13th amendment.

Amendment XIII - Slavery Abolished.

1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Congress didn't reserve "the right to regulate commerce between the states". The writers of the Constitution did.

Article I, Section 8, Clause 3: To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes

[AngryOldDem]

27. Ted Strickland pushed legislation, but it's stalled.

Jack Hanna was talking about it on the news shows this morning. He's now expecting to get a call from Kasich this afternoon, wanting to talk about how to move the bill forward.

Proactive politics.

Outside of zoos, there is no need for "wild animal farms," especially when owners, like in this case, have been charged with animal cruelty in the past and have no idea how in the hell to take proper care of these creatures.

[Arugula Latte]

54. Yep. This is insane.

Ownership of exotic animals needs to be outlawed federally. Existing animals should be neutered and allowed to live out their lives.

In my dream, circuses using animals (and rodeos) would be outlawed, too.

[alp227]

66. i bet most of the people who attend circus/rodeos are libertarian

because they don't want big gubmint gettin' in the way of getting a kick out of oppressed animals.

[Arugula Latte]

69. Probably.

I think a lot of people who get off on rodeos are all about control and oppression. They like to feel powerful in comparison to cruelly treated horses and cattle...Pretty sad.

[Still Blue in PDX]

68. +10. nt

[wordpix]

121. By the photos, it looks like the poor animals barely left the reserve before they were slaughtered

They were killed en masse. Nice work, police :sarcasm:

Put some steaks in an enclosed truck, for god's sake, and at least try to trap some that way.

[CountAllVotes]

134. exactly!

This is where I got my dog from that ended up being lame and had to be put down a few months after I got her.

The person lied to me and would do ANYTHING FOR A DAMN BUCK!

Fuck you Ohio and your lack of law and order and you absolute inability to protect innocent animals! :mad:

:dem: :kick:

[iamthebandfanman]

22. the "its coming right at us!"

defense/excuse im sure

[chrisa]

28. My speculation -

He let all of the animals out before shooting himself in the head.

Suicidal people often do not think rationally.

[David Sky]

30. Your speculation seems to be about to be confirmed by

law enforcement and the medical autopsy.

[Supply Side Jesus]

57. or DUers....

when animals have to euthanized

[CountAllVotes]

138. I heard one of the tigers bit his head off

n/t

[David Sky]

31. We need to pass laws to protect wild animals in captivity WORLDWIDE..

Similar to the articles of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war.

We need a federal or even international set of laws dealing with the humane treatment of all animals, particularly non-native species kept in environments alien to their natural habitat.

But even zookeepers, who cage wild lions, tigers, elephants in small areas with iron bars around them would object to an international standard for seriously humane treatment.

We should shut down 75% of the zoos in the world, as inhumane places to keep wild animals.

[Freddie Stubbs]

32. Hopefully no honey badgers

[sinkingfeeling]

34. Is it just me or do you think some people with badges just like to kill?

[maxrandb]

38. Sure you could probably say that

However, the situation was dangerous and perilous enough that they closed all the local schools.

We're not talking about your lone Black Bear that got caught in a tree and is harmless as long as you stay away from him. In that case, you probably have time to get the proper authorities there with a tranquilizer gun and keep the public safe.

The guy apparently had 21 tigers alone! This isn't a lone Black Bear that is a public nuisance...this scenario is more like a Black Bear that was "chased" up a tree by 3 Grizzly Bears and 6 Lions who aren't going to stand around and wait until you get a dozen transquilizer guns with proper dosage and range.

The city of Zanesville, with a population of 30,000 is pretty close to this area. Could you imagine the nightmare it would create if a dozen Siberian Tigers and a handful of Grizzly Bears made their way into the city?

[Supply Side Jesus]

60. don't inject logic here!

WE GOT SOME COP BASHING TO DO!!! WOOO HOOOO!!!!!!

[The Croquist]

86. I've got a friend who lives in the Adirondack park in upstate NY

A couple of years ago he was drinking coffee on his front porch when a bear walked by with two cubs. Something spooked them and the cubs ended up in a tree with momma guarding them. Within a few minutes the neighbors kids came out to wait on the school bus. He went over there to guard the kids. I don't know for sure but I bet he got his rifle first.

It took over an hour for the cubs to get down.

[maxrandb]

115. On a trail

in Sequoia National Forest and saw a bear and cub not more than 20 yards off the trail, just watching the people go by. If the bear had wanted to attack it would have been over in seconds. The Park Rangers will actually kill bears the get too close or comfortable with people.

It's sad, but you simply cannot equate the life of a bear with the life of your fellow man. Blame the idiot politicians who failed to regulate and the crazy guy for his lack of respect for these powerful and graceful animals, but please don't blame law enforcement for trying to protect the people under their care.

[The Stranger]

44. It's not just you.

[bigworld]

45. You're a police officer. You show up and there are dozens of tigers and wolves running loose.

You mean to tell me you'll wait for zoo personnel to show up from Columbus and tranquilize them?

Call out the cops when it's deserved, but in this case, from what I've read, they did the right thing.

[Dover]

58. Everything about this story is so sad. Perhaps the only silver lining is that

it will likely create big pressure to change the laws there about wild animal sales and ownership.

[yellowcanine]

49. I love it the way people think they know better than trained police officers.

I am not going to tell a police officer how to handle a tiger, lion or grizzly bear on the lose in a population center. Their first duty is to protect the public. If in their professional judgment they think the best way to do that is to shoot to kill, so be it. We aren't there. I suspect that even if these animals were captured, many of them would end up being euthanized anyway. It is doubtful if this guy provided proper vet care and kept good records on these animals. No reputable zoo is going to expose their animals and zoo staff to these animals.

[AngryOldDem]

82. He was brought up on charges of cruelty a few years ago.

So, no, most likely these animals aren't in the best of shape.

But don't let facts and logic get in the way of a good rant.

[ChandlerJr]

61. And just so somebody doesn't think that this is just another typical

hit and run post on my part...

I have never seen such disparate responses to what I thought was a pretty straight forward incident.

[Supply Side Jesus]

62. Cop haters are blinded by their hate

not your fault

[AngryOldDem]

73. LOL. This is DU.

Where everybody knows better than anyone else.

Law enforcement here has to do what it has to do. You cannot have a bunch of exotic animals running around loose. If they can be tranquilized and transported to the zoo, great. If not, public safety takes precedence.

[mainegreen]

117. Well said. /nt

[NYC Liberal]

77. "never seen so many disparate responses to what I thought was a pretty straight forward incident"

You've pretty much summed up DU with that one sentence. ;)

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

63. Police hunting escaped exotic animals in Ohio

Source: USA Today

ZANESVILLE, Ohio -- The owner of a wild animal preserve released dozens of animals from their cages before he shot and killed himself as officials Wednesday continued to search for a mountain lion and grizzly bear still roaming the area.

As daylight came to Zanesville, a rural area 55 miles east of Columbus, people were being told to stay inside. Officers with assault rifles patrolled the area looking for the two animals and a monkey. An estimated 51 animals ranging from tigers and lions to cheetahs and bears had escaped the compound.

Zanesville Mayor Howard Zwelling said he got a call from the city's safety director around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday that Terry Thompson, the owner of the farm, had set the animals free and then shot himself. No suicide note was left. Officials said Thompson cut the gates on the pens so the animals could not be put back inside their cages.

Officers were on the interstate shooting animals to prevent them from getting into subdivisions. One cat was reported hit by a car on the interstate but still alive and officers were on their way to put it down. Once officials arrived with tranquilizer guns "we just had a huge tiger, an adult tiger, estimated at 300 pounds that was very aggressive," he said. They "got a veterinarian close enough to get a tranquiilizer in it" and the tiger went crazy and headed to a wooded area "and our officer had to put it down."



Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-10-18/exotic-animals-loose-ohio/50821092/1

---

It's pretty wild. I guess they've killed dozens of dangerous animals and dozens more are still loose. My friend said groups of county cops and such are/were roaming around in 4x4 jeeps & ATVs with the biggest calibers they could shoot. Crazy!

And they say people with big guns and scary looking rifles are all just paranoid! A buddy of mine actually called and informed me of what was happening and suggested we should take some .308 and assault rifles out for some urban hunting. :rofl:
I'm pretty sure flinging bullets around city limits is still illegal.

[TwilightGardener]

64. This is heartbreaking. Those poor animals.

[alp227]

65. hey PETA! n/t

[RebelOne]

102. I hope PETA weighs on this. n/t

[alp227]

127. to make donkeys out of their wannabe animal selves?

that's what they ALWAYS do even with their well-meaning campaigns such as "I'd rather be naked than wear fur" or comparing animal cruelty with slavery/genocide.

[hamsterjill]

70. Tragic all the way around.

I'm a big animal person, in fact a domestic cat rescuer here in Texas. But I understand and agree that human life must take precedence. This is a tragic situation.

That said, I sincerely hope that this horrible situation will be an impetus for changes to laws allowing for this type of thing to happen. Here in Texas, just about every rich bastard with a ranch has a couple of tigers caged. They don't have the faintest idea what would really happen if one of those tigers got out. They just think it's "cool" to have them. It is both cruel to the tigers AND dangerous to humans.

[Liberalynn]

132. +1

I agree totally with you. Jack Hannah was clearly upset by all of this but even he said the police had no choice. He said there was no guarentee you could successfully tranqualize that many under those conditions.

It was hard for me to see all those beautiful cats and caninines dead, but I don't blame the responders in this situation. I blame the owner and the laws that allowed him to own them as if they were "domestic pets."

As has been said the only thing they can do in retrospect is to ban ownership of wild animals to any person or orgainization that is not an accredited Zoo or liscensed rescue operation. Even those entities should have to adhere to strict guidelines to protect the animals and the public.

Its too bad something this horrendous had to happen to get the dumb ass legislators to even begin to look at changing the laws.

[OhioChick]

83. Photos (Warning....a few may be graphic)

http://www.newsnet5.com/gallery/news/news_photo_gallery/photo-gallery-dozens-of-exotic-animals-escape-muskingum-county-animal-farm

[OhioChick]

84. Update:

Monkey, wolf still on the loose, sheriff says; more at 3 p.m.

11 minutes ago

Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz says only a monkey and wolf are still on the loose after a bear and lion were put down this afternoon. Earlier today, Lutz said Terry Thompson killed himself after releasing several dozen wild animals that escaped from his property on Kopchak Road. Read our tweets from a news conference conducted by him and the Columbus Zoo's Jack Hanna here, along with our latest updates. Another news conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. You can also follow #escapedanimals on Twitter.


http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/

[ellisonz]

89. I read in another artcile the monkey has herpes.

[RebelOne]

91. That's what my local news channel has just reported.

Could be just to justify the killing when they find the monkey.

[ellisonz]

95. Or he could just have herpes...

I'd suggest listening to the expert:

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2011/10/19/am-hanna-escaped-animals.wsyx#/video/us/2011/10/19/am-hanna-escaped-animals.wsyx

[yellowcanine]

97. It is pretty clear by now that these animals were not well cared for.

They were either in cages outside or in cages inside the house. Most of these animals will have to be euthanized. Sick, neglected or abused animals can't be housed with other zoo animals and there are few facilities equipped to rehab exotic animals. You are not doing exotic animals any favors by prolonging a miserable life and having them cared for by people lacking the specialized training needed to care for them properly. Most vets and vet techs aren't trained to care for exotic animals and most animal hospitals or animal shelters would not equipped to handle these animals either. It is not as if you can shove a cheetah into a cage built for a domestic cat.

[CountAllVotes]

135. why is that?

My cat has herpes. She is almost 18 years old and she's not about to die. :wtf:

:dem:

[RebelOne]

92. It's really sad. Those poor animals have been caged all their lives,

and the minute they get a little taste of freedom, they are killed.

[StarryNite]

98. Put the blame where it belongs!

The nut-job that let the animals go is the one who people should be mad at! Not the cops who were left trying to manage a dangerous situation by the said, nut-job!

[Doremus]

103. I'm still trying to find out what happened to the giraffes and camels.

If shot dead, I'm sure someone will have a harrowing tale of being attacked and almost eaten by herbivores.

Fvcking bastards.

[StarryNite]

105. There were no giraffes or camels.

Why don't you point your hatred towards the psycho that let them all go?!

[Doremus]

107. MSM disagrees with you. Perhaps you have some inside knowledge ...?

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/10/ohio-game-farm-large-animals-released-.html
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/18/us/ohio-animals-on-loose/

And about 1,000 more from various sources:

http://news.google.com/news/story?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=604&q=zanesville+exotic+giraffe&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ncl=d_hi8FNR8fRPrYMjCA2nJj7oY2DyM&ei=OkWfTrLrG8PXiAK5oM2HAQ&sa=X&oi=news_result&ct=more-results&resnum=1&ved=0CCAQqgIwAA


Once again, do you have information that refutes these sources?

[StarryNite]

108. Pay attention!

You're so hell bent on blaming the wrong people you aren't paying attention!

[Doremus]

109. WTF?

As I said, do you have some information that refutes my multitude of links?

If not, pound sand someplace else.

[StarryNite]

111. BTW

You don't get to tell me where I can post!

[StarryNite]

110. Here is the count...

ZANESVILLE, Ohio —Authorities say that in all, 56 exotic animals escaped from a farm in Muskingum County last night, and one was still missing this afternoon.

"Of those animals, 49 were killed. Six animals -- a grizzly bear, three leopards and two monkeys -- were captured alive and taken to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and a monkey and a grey wolf were at large. The animals that were killed included 18 tigers, nine male lions, eight female lions, six black bears, three mountain lions, two grizzly bears, one baboon and two wolves, Sheriff Matt Lutz said"

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/10/18/Wild-animals-loose-in-Muskingum-County.html

[pengillian101]

126. +1 (n/t)

[yardwork]

116. This guy had a lot of guns. Had been arrested for having a machine gun.

From one of the linked articles:

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had raided Thompson’s Kopchak Road property in June 2008, seizing more than 100 guns. In April 2010, Thompson pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Columbus to two federal charges: possession of a machine gun and possession of short firearms without serial numbers.

[mainegreen]

118. Maybe this will help drive legislation to keep people from owning things that AREN'T PETS

If it's above you in the food chain (in the wild), it's not a pet.

[wordpix]

122. We can only hope. I can't believe OH has no laws about keeping these animals.

So I guess they can be starved and maltreated, too, in OH, right?

[undergroundpanther]

124. fucking ex con asshole.

What the fuck ! Who let this an ex con asshole keep exotic animals? and why are fucking animal cops so eager to kill when they don't have to,do they want the trophy skins? Where do the bodies of these exotic animals go? I bet they go to "market". A perfect condition mounted tiger skin can cost serious bux.Fuck this fucking stupid guns n gawd n merican culture,my Sekhmet it's sick,uncivilized,evil.I HATE it !

[tigerfang]

145. I highly doubt the police woke up that morning thinking "I'm gettin' me a lion skin today!"

nt

[Dover]

125. Nearly 50 animals dead including 18 rare Bengal tigers and 17 lions

ZANESVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Sheriff's deputies shot nearly 50 wild animals — including 18 rare Bengal tigers and 17 lions — in a big-game hunt across the state's countryside Wednesday after the owner of an exotic-animal park threw their cages open and committed suicide in what may have been one last act of spite against his neighbors and police.

..//..

After an all-night hunt that extended into Wednesday afternoon, 48 animals were killed. Six others — three leopards, a grizzly bear and two monkeys — were captured and taken to the Columbus Zoo. A wolf was later found dead, leaving a monkey as the only animal still on the loose.


... Sometimes I just want to slit my throat rather than be associated with such a cruel and ignorant human species....

[lonestarnot]

128. How in the fuck did that motherfucker accumulate so many? Something fishy there.

[CountAllVotes]

140. you can do whatever you want with animals in Ohio

Not only is it one of the puppy mill capitals of the world, it is also has the most useless animal protection laws in the whole of America.

Shame on Ohio, Shame!!!

[CountAllVotes]

133. of course this happened in Ohio

Ohio has the weakest laws surrounding animals. They have no laws regarding exotic animals. Because of this lack of law, Ohio is a magnet for people like this freak.

Ohio won't do anything about this and suggested laws and ordinances that have been run through the system are always defeated sadly.

Why am I not surprised that this happened in Ohio?

How sad for the animals that were mercilessly killed! :cry: :cry: :cry:

[Dover]

136. Commentary by Rachel Maddow

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/

[tawadi]

143. Great commentary

"And in Ohio, THIS is our regulation free paradise today..."

[tigerfang]

144. I worked for 17 years with big cats

They could kill you before you knew what was happening. Wild animals are unpredictable. I hate they met this fate, but what would you want if this happened in your town? I can speak from experience, you do NOT want a tiger or lion running loose in your town. If you want to be angry, be angry at the guy who set them loose and caused all this.